Minnesota Twins sign Mounds View's Mark Hamburger

St. Paul Saints pitcher Mark Hamburger, who has signed with the Twins, effective at the end of the Saints' season Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2013. (Pioneer Press: Chris Polydoroff)

ARLINGTON, Texas -- The Twins have signed St. Paul Saints right-hander Mark Hamburger, effective at the end of the Saints' season on Tuesday.

Hamburger, 26, still must serve a 50-game suspension for a second positive test for a drug of abuse, but the Twins opted to go ahead and sign the former Mounds View High School standout anyway.

"You don't see 93-95 miles per hour every day in this league," said Saints manager George Tsamis, a former Twins pitcher. "The thing is he's doing that as a starter. I don't know what the Twins plan for him, but if they are going to pitch him out of the 'pen, which is my guess, you might see 97 miles per hour."

Hamburger was scheduled to make his final start for the Saints on Saturday night at Midway Stadium.

In 20 starts this season with the Saints, Hamburger had gone 6-7 with a 3.28 earned-run average. He had thrown four complete games, including two shutouts, and had allowed 154 hits in 140 innings, striking out 115 in the independent American Association.

His curveball is improved, and he also features a split-fingered changeup.

Originally signed by the Twins for $2,000 out of a tryout camp in 2007, Hamburger was traded to Texas for Eddie Guardado late the following season. Hamburger made five relief appearances with the Rangers in 2011, going 1-0 with a 4.50 ERA.

A rangy 6-foot-4, Hamburger spent parts of five seasons in the Rangers organization and had short stints with the Houston Astros and San Diego Padres organizations.

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The Astros took him off their 40-man roster last fall and released him in February.

Soon after, he was suspended for 50 games under baseball's minor league drug program after failing a second test for marijuana. Hamburger later went through voluntary rehab at the Hazelden Clinic and has claimed to be sober since February.

Three current members of the Twins' big-league roster rose through the independent league ranks: left-handers Drew Albers and Caleb Thielbar and first baseman Chris Colabello, named this week as the Most Valuable Player in the International League.

Thielbar pitched for the Saints in 2011 before signing with the Twins that Aug. 18. The Twins also recently signed Double-A infielder Brad Boyer off the Saints roster.